'Kantara' has been dubbed one of the greatest pan-India releases ever. The Rishab Shetty-starrer, made by Hombale Films, raised the stature of the Kannada film industry.
Close on the heels of the blockbuster comes 'Banaras', another pan-India release from Sandalwood. The film hit the cinemas this Friday. Starring newcomer Zaid Khan, it has opened to a lukewarm response in the Telugu States. The same is likely the case in all non-Kannada releases as well.
The film's storyline is actually decent, although the second half really goes haywire. In other words, the storyline has been elaborated into a tedious screenplay.
However, the film has been appreciated for some elements by review-writers. "You have to give it up to director Jayathirtha and cinematographer Advaitha Gurumurthy for capturing the spiritual locales of Varanasi aesthetically," said TNIE in its review.
In its review, The Hindu lauded the content of the semi-fantasy, sci-fi romantic drama. "With Banaras, Jayathirtha has once again proved his mettle as a sensitive filmmaker. Bringing this holy city and the concept of time travel together, he has knitted a poetic love story," the film critic wrote.
